Leo Wilton, PhD

Professor

Leo Wilton has research expertise in the areas of health disparities and inequities
(primary and secondary HIV prevention); community based research and evaluation; and
Black psychological development and mental health. His scholarly research on the AIDS
epidemic focuses on the intersectionality of race, gender and sexuality, as situated
in macro- and micro-level inequities in Black communities, both nationally and internationally.
The overall objective of Wilton's research has been to focus on sociocultural factors
that influence sexual/drug-risk and protective behavior and mental health in Black
communities. His research examines sociocultural factors that provide the basis for
the development of culturally grounded HIV prevention interventions in Black communities,
particularly for Black same-gender practicing men.

Wilton was appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Council
of Public Representatives for a four-year term. He was also invited to the White House
by the Office of National AIDS Policy to take part in a research meeting that focused
on Black men and HIV prevention. He is a founding member and immediate past chair
of the board of directors of the Black Gay Research Group, an international organization
engaged in interdisciplinary and intersectional research in the fields of public health,
psychology, African Diaspora studies, gender studies and sexuality studies that works
to address the substantial HIV-related health inequities in Black same-gender practicing
men's communities. He was appointed to and currently serves on the American Psychological
Association‘s Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity.

Educational background

PhD, counseling psychology, New York University (APA accredited program)

MPH, public health practice (global health), University of Massachusetts at Amherst

MA, counseling psychology, New York University

BA, English and Africana Studies, Binghamton University

Postdoctoral research fellowships

University of Michigan, Empirical Summer Program in Multi-Ethnic Research

New York University, Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training

Predoctoral clinical psychology fellowship

Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry (APA accredited program)

Teaching

Courses regularly taught

HDEV 300, Social Science Research Methods

HDEV 336, Black Child and Adolescent Development

HDEV 339, Black Families

HDEV 365, Psychology of Racism

HDEV 374, Psychology of HIV and AIDS

Current research interests

Health disparities (primary and secondary HIV prevention)

Community-based research and evaluation

Black psychological development and mental health

Selected Publications

Wilton, L. (2016). Race, sexuality, and AIDS activism in Black same gender practicing
men's communities in post-apartheid South Africa. In E. L. Short & L. Wilton (Eds.),
Talking about structural inequalities in everyday life: New politics of race in groups,
organizations, and social systems (pp.165-182). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Nelson, L. E., Wilton, L., Moineddin, R., et al. (2016). Economic, legal and social
hardships associated with HIV risk among Black men who have sex with men in six US
cities. Journal of Urban Health, 93, 170-188.

Williams, J.K., Wilton, L., Magnus, M., et al. (2015). Relation of childhood sexual
abuse, intimate partner violence, and depression to risk factors for HIV among Black
men who have sex with men in 6 US cities. American Journal of Public Health, 105, 2473-2481.

Irvin, R., Wilton, L., Scott, H., et al. (2014). A study of perceived racial discrimination
in Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and its association with healthcare utilization
and HIV testing. AIDS & Behavior, 18, 1272-1278.